New York Times New York City Poll, August 2005

This poll, fielded August 22-28, 2005, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the current presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. The focus of this survey was the 2005 New York City mayoral race. Residents of the city were asked to give their opinions of the candidates running for mayor and how those candidates would deal with various issues. Their opinions were also sought about the New York City school system. The candidates mentioned in the survey included current Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Fernando Ferrer, Virginia Fields, Gifford Miller, and Anthony Weiner. A series of questions asked the respondents to give their opinion on the subject of the World Trade Center site, whether Mayor Bloomberg or Governor George Pataki was more responsible for the redevelopment of this site, and if they thought the efforts to redevelop the site were going too quickly, too slowly, or just the right pace. Respondents were also asked to rate the New York City economy and if they thought it was getting better or worse. Questions respondents were asked concerning New York City schools included whether they were satisfied with the public school system, what type of school the respondents' children attended, and their opinion regarding the amount of influence the Bloomberg administration had had on the improvement of test scores in the New York public schools. Respondents were asked to compare neighborhood safety at the time of the survey to that of four years previously, what their opinion was on race relations in the New York City area, and if they approved or disapproved of the way Mayor Bloomberg was handling the redevelopment of downtown Manhattan. Other general topics included the economy, crime, security, and public transportation. Demographic variables include age, sex, race, household income, education level, employment status, political party affiliation, political philosophy, religious affiliation, marital status, borough of residence, and age group.